Godzilla vs. the Usurper
by C. L. Werner
Summary: Godzilla appears in California and fights....Godzilla? One of my very old stories.


Godzilla vs ****

Godzilla vs. the Usurper

By C. L. Werner

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Note- I wrote this one many many moons ago, when details of Tristar's crap-o-rama were just starting to leak out. In the interest of exploiting the work I invested in this piece, I here present this battle. Readers should in no way construe this as having any manner of connection to my regular Godzilla features.

C. L. Werner

Major Hideki saluted the grim-faced American Colonel as the older man rose from behind his desk. Colonel Tower returned the salute of the Japanese and grasped the man's hand in a firm grip.

"I trust you had a pleasant flight," the Colonel said as he indicated a straight-backed chair even as he returned to his own seat behind the desk.

"It is difficult to enjoy anything when a mind is ill at ease." Major Hideki held Colonel tower's eyes with a piercing gaze. "Four hours ago I was in Osaka. Now I am in Los Angeles and I must ask myself why."

"Straight and to the point." Colonel Tower smiled. "I like that," the smile faded. "I am sorry, but the information which necessitated your coming here is being kept top secret, given out strictly on a need-to-know basis. Until you set foot in this room, you did not need to know."

"I appreciate your need for secrecy, Colonel." As the Japanese spoke the American swiveled in his chair to face the room's only window.

"As you know, a certain class of natural disaster is predominantly a Japanese phenomenon…"

"You are speaking of kaiju?" interrupted major Hideki. Colonel Tower turned his grim face toward the JSDF officer.

"Rightly or wrongly the American public believes the phenomenon of giant monsters to be a Japanese problem. There is a general feeling that America is immune from the predations of such creatures. One week ago, evidence came into possession of our military that will shatter that long held belief."

"Are you telling me that the United States is going to be attacked by a kaiju?" asked Major Hideki, his voice filled with shock and disbelief. Colonel Tower favored him with a grave nod.

"Not just any kaiju… it's Godzilla."

An Arctic chill crawled across the flesh of both officers as the dreadful name seemed to hang in the air like an apparition of doom. It was some time before Major Hideki spoke.

"Your people must be mistaken, Colonel. Godzilla is dead."

"Yes, but when he died three years ago, the radiation released by his death was reported to have been absorbed by the smaller Godzilla. The death of that creature has never been verified."

"Neither has it been seen once in all these years. Its death may be safely assumed."

Colonel Tower shook his head. "Wishful thinking, Major, just like our certainty that Godzilla would always head for Japan. It's him alright and we want you to help us stop him before he makes landfall." The Colonel looked out the window. "Before we have to tell our people that they are not alone."

***************

Two days later Major Hideki found himself seated at a table with an impressive assemblage of US army, air force and naval commanders. On a large monitor at the head of the table played the film footage which was the subject of the hastily called meeting.

A gray-scaled reptilian creature could be seen moving through the water at tremendous speed. The only truly distinctive feature of the monster that was visible were the dual rows of curved spines which marched down its back. Battleships trained their cannon upon the submerged monster. The vicious barrage momentarily obscured the creature and when it abated there was no trace of the beast. The film paused as a Navy admiral rose from the table.

"The disappearance of Godzilla when struck by the fire of our battleships goes against all the information which major Hideki has supplied us regarding Godzilla's behavioral patterns. We had planned to keep him in place with cannon fire while patriot missiles fired from waiting cruisers would have dealt the real damage when Godzilla attempted to confront our fleet. Instead, he fled from our ships as soon as we fired on him."

The film resumed, showing a gigantic creature stealing across the California coastline. The reptile certainly had the size of a true kaiju, and its shriek-like bellow was the very echo of Godzilla's roar, but it in no way resembled the monster that had plagued Japan for so long. Major Hideki suppressed a grimace. "They think that this is Godzilla?" he thought to himself. Its tail held behind it, high off the ground, thick almost avian legs and strange rounded dorsal spines, the creature's face was covered in shiny plates rather than true scales, creating an alien, almost insectoid look. Its eyes burned with green fire as airforce F-18s began their run.

"For some reason we don't know, Godzilla refrained from using its ray during our attack," reported a gray-haired air force colonel. "It did however emit a sort of 'windstorm' from its mouth which downed several of our aircraft. As we continued our attack, a running battle as Godzilla has been clocked at 450 miles per hour, he exhibited another unknown ability."

The image of the creature abruptly disappeared. Major Hideki gasped, a sound which was repeated throughout the room. Studying the image longer, movement was apparent, as were the seemingly disembodied glowing green eyes. The ramification instantly hit the Japanese officer.

"It's like a chameleon!"

"Yes, Major," continued the air force colonel. "Godzilla appears to have picked up this ability when he mutated into his present form. For this reason, we do not at present know his whereabouts. However," the colonel smiled with a look of confidence and triumph, "tissue samples and blood found at the sites of both these battles lead our scientists to one conclusion - Godzilla is not invulnerable to our weapons. If we can find it, we can kill it." Major Hideki shook his head in disbelief.

"You can call that thing 'Godzilla' if you insist, but there is no way that creature is in any way related to the beasts which have plagued my homeland."

"Thank you for your input, Major Hideki, but I think that our people know what they are talking about when they identify this creature as Godzilla," interrupted a seated army general. Major Hideki rose to leave.

"That is not Godzilla," he said, pointing at the monitor, "but I can tell you this. When another monster appears, Godzilla, the real Godzilla, more often than not perceives it as a threat and engages it in battle." Major Hideki paused at the threshold of the room.

"Godzilla may be coming to America after all," he called back over his shoulder. "Then you'll have a true kaiju to worry about."

**************

The creature bathed itself in what sunlight pierced the thick brown veil which shrouded the corpse of L. A. It had struck in the dead of night, descending upon the city with the mindless ferocity of a tornado before retreating to the Coliseum. Resting in the bowl of the arena, the huge reptile nuzzled one of the clutch of eggs which filled the stadium. As a news helicopter flew by, the reptile adopted the hue of the stadium. Its tiny brain had learned that helicopters caused pain and it had no desire to encourage the helicopter to sting it.

Not so far away, the sea boiled. A black mountain rose through the white froth, scales gleaming wetly in the morning sun. Baleful red eyes gazed at the foggy beach as a thick, powerful tail propelled the beast closer to the shore. Massive jaws parted to voice a loud shriek-roar. Godzilla had arrived.

Ridiculously expensive, ludicrously small beachfront bungalows exploded into clouds of splinters beneath the titan's mass as Godzilla lumbered onto the California coast. Again, Godzilla's shriek tore apart the smog-ridden air with the ear-shattering violence of a sonic boom.

Perched atop its clutch of eggs, the creature looked at the sky with sudden alarm as the sound of Godzilla's roar shook the walls of the Coliseum. The reptile sniffed the air with its long purplish tongue, hissing its discomfort like an angered snake. The creature roared its defiance, the sound echoing back as Godzilla replied in kind.

Cutting a swath of destruction through the debris-laden streets of LA Godzilla curled his lip in bestial anger when the Coliseum and the creature nested above it came into view. The giant monsters exchanged twin roars, each telling the other to flee. Godzilla ignored the reptilian monster, striding over the closely packed houses which lie between him and the arena. The creature turned its head toward the advancing Godzilla, opening its sharp-toothed maw, belching forth winds of hurricane fury. Godzilla stumbled backwards several steps, shrieking in irritation. The winds howled about him, blowing cars and debris to the four corners of Los Angeles, but Godzilla remained unmoving. Slowly, the great beast lumbered forward, regaining lost ground, as unstoppable as a juggernaut.

The creature ceased its assault, its tiny brain registering the impotence of its hurricane breath. As its cyclonic attack ended, Godzilla began his own thermonuclear assault. Blue fire erupted from Godzilla's fang-filled jaws, reducing one side of the arena to molten slag, narrowly missing the quick-moving creature. As the strange fire sped towards it, the creature leaped from its perch, photophores in its skin acting to hide it from monstrous eyes.

Godzilla stared at the Coliseum, confused by his adversary's sudden disappearance. Warily, the black-scaled giant lumbered onwards, growling his rage, striding ever nearer the unprotected nest of the creature.

Suddenly, a tremendous blow struck Godzilla from behind, pitching the monster forward to crash and sink into the weak urban earth. Behind him, the creature lashed out again with its long, powerful tail, battering the fallen Godzilla. Godzilla lay in a deep hole fighting to regain his feet under the relentless tail strikes. A flicker of motion caught Godzilla's eye as he tried to pinpoint the source of the attack. Instantly Godzilla's muscular tail lashed out, striking the seemingly empty air with the force of an avalanche, sending the creature crashing into a squat bank building.

The creature regained its feet even as Godzilla freed himself from the hole. The creature's photophores relaxed, lending it a grayish hue, as it rushed the looming titan with astounding speed. The two monsters grappled as the creature crashed into Godzilla's bulk. Like ancient gods, they wrestled, Jupiter battling Mercury. But when Mercury closed its gray-plated claws about its adversary's lower jaw, Jupiter responded with an atomic thunderbolt. The creature's arm withered under the blast. The reptile released its enemy, its photophores again blending it into its surroundings; all save the burnt, charred arms, which hung in midair like a phantom.

Godzilla roared in rage at the cowardly beast which hoped to escape him, which had challenged him in his own voice. Golden light crackled about Godzilla's spines as he opened his mouth and unleashed atomic destruction upon the empty air. The creature screamed as Godzilla's ray burned through its body, burning through its torso and setting its flesh aflame. Gurgling a death rattle, the monster fell, flames licking about its body.

Godzilla turned from the dead creature and gazed at the abandoned nest. Raising his head in an outraged shriek, Godzilla turned his ray upon the exposed clutch of eggs. Already some had hatched, man-sized miniatures of the slain creature withering in the blast which caused the unhatched eggs to explode. There would be no more pretenders. There would be no more false Godzillas.


End file.
